If I say,
"I have a functional understanding of
car engines"
does this convey:
- I understand how car engines function (this is what I originally thought)
- My understanding of car engines is functional (which doesn't make much sense, but what I suspect is correct)
So if I wanted to tell someone I understand how a car engine functions, I would say:
"I understand how a car engine
functions"
and not:
"I have a functional understanding of
car engines"
Best Answer
Functional literacy for example means reading and writing skills that are adequate "to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level."* That is, you can function.
If you have a functional understanding of car engines, you understand them well enough to do your job (maintaining or perhaps repairing them). You may or may not understand how they themselves function. You can have a functional understanding of something that doesn't itself "function" at all (mathematics, for example, or history).